BIRDING SPOTS

Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve

Description:
Rio Tinto Kennecott has transformed acreage once dominated by over-grazed lands, salt evaporation ponds and illegal dumps into a 3,670-acre shorebird and waterfowl reserve along the south shore of Great Salt Lake. It was created under a mitigation plan developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to offset the loss of 1,000 acres impacted when the company expanded its tailings impoundment in 1996. Over 120,000 birds use the reserve annually. In 2004, the area became an Important Bird Area (IBA) and is now part of BirdLife International's IBA Program. The reserve is generally closed to the public and can only be accessed via guided trips, during bird festivals, and other public events.

Birding:
Since this location is closed to the public, if you have the opportunity to go here you will be with a guide that knows the area. The ponds on the property are a haven for migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and waders, and plays hosts to a number of migrant songbirds as well. The unique location on the south shore of the Great Salt Lake put it right in the patch of many waterbirds that otherwise would never be recorded in Salt Lake County. Some of the more notable sightings form here include DUNLIN, RED KNOT, AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, LAPLAND LONGSPUR, SABINE'S GULL, and surprisingly dozens of neotropical migrants that show up in the salt cedars during migration.

Directions:
The ISSR is reached via the North Temple Frontage Road between 7200 West and Saltair in Salt Lake County.

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